The present invention is directed to a film forming coating for coating teeth. It is a temporary coating which will eventually wear off or may be easily removed when convenient or desired.
Temporary protective coatings or removable protective coatings are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,014, to Roberts et al., teaches a temporary protective aqueous coating composition which is applied to the hydrophobic paint work of newly finished motor vehicles, and yet is easily removable. The composition is a copolymer of (meth)acrylic acid, and a staple monomer, which creates a copolymer coating having a molecular weight of 10,000 to 200,000 that is soluble under alkaline conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,788, to Roberts, teaches a temporary coating to protect the surface of an article, which coating is weather resistant but soluble under alkaline conditions and which is a film-forming acrylic polymer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,674, to Skelly, et al., discloses an article having a removable protective film to protect the activated nature of an activated surface. The film-forming substance is water soluble, preferably a vinylpyrrolidone and vinyl acetate polymer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,462, to Salamon, discloses temporary protective coatings for precision surfaces such as glass, metals, ceramics, plastic and other materials of construction where the coating is a (meth)acrylate-capped organic prepolymer resin having at least one pendent hydrophilic group. This film-forming system is dependent on reactive curing of monomers and prepolymers.
There are patents which teach cosmetically improving and altering the appearance of teeth, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,494, to Cohen, which teaches the use of a Bis-GMA (compound) (bisphenol diglycidylmethacrylate) or a glass ionomer. The coatings are reacted from monomers and/or prepolymers at the dental surface and can be pigmented. But once coated, it cannot be removed without using a dental pick or tool to remove the shell coating from the tooth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,868, to Homola, et al., discloses a dental delivery system for the protection of surfaces of teeth. The Homola composition provides a protective coating of fatty/waxy base which functions as a transfer agent or barrier stratum, but it does not appear to be a temporary removable coating. U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,743, to Santucci et al., teaches a polymerizable composition which can be applied to the surface of teeth, but it requires the etching of the tooth surface before applying the coating. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,883,534, and 4,496,322, both to Sandham, et al., teach a varnish containing a dentally acceptable antimicrobial agent which can be painted on teeth to give a transparent, translucent or tooth colored film which is effectively invisible but provides sustained release of the antimicrobial agent. This is a film which is used to treat infection and can be removed by the application of the liquid varnish base. U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,074, to Barnes, et al., teaches a dental restoration kit which provides a gum-colored dental composite for restoring cavities and shorten the appearance of clinical crown on the facial surface of a tooth. The composition is a methacylate resin. The components are presented separately in a kit for combination and application to the tooth. The composition is reactive and is not considered a temporary removable composition. U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,627, to Suchan, et al., teaches a tooth whitening cosmetic composition that is applied temporarily and then removed with solvent. An alkaline solution is necessary for removal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,845, to Orlowski et al., teaches a method for indirect bonding of chemically or light curable resin-based restoratives such as acrylates and methacrylates to the base metal of dental cast restorations. The composition of Orlowski is not intended to be a temporary removable coating.
While the prior art coatings in general can be easily strippable, they are not suggested for use on teeth, and the coatings that are used for teeth which are removable require special tools or compositions to subsequently remove the coatings. The prior art coatings have been created from reactive monomers, prepolymers, and where necessary, highly reactive initiators like organic peroxides and light sensitive compounds. Any substantially reactive chemical system has the ability to affect the normal chemistry of living tissue and produce unsafe, unwanted, and sometimes toxic and detrimental changes. Likewise, the solvent systems described have included generally toxic compounds including reactive species. The prior art coatings have also been subject to removal or degradation by changes in acid/base balance, most notably toward basic conditions. Acidic and basic conditions are both found in day-to-day activities including eating and tooth brushing. When the conditions of film removal are found in common activities, the film is subject to premature and possibly unexpected and embarrassing removal.